It’s Sunday afternoon. The weather is perfect. The smell of campfire smoke wafts through the air. There is a wine bar set up on the counter. Every smiling person that walks through the door offers a hug & a new treat to share…
Potato salad. Baked beans with thick bacon. Roasted brussel sprouts. Roasted tomato & olive tapenade & toast. Candied bacon with tomatoes. My contribution? Strawberry Bruschetta with Goat Cheese. Such a cornucopia! Then the grill is fired up. Sausages. Pork chops. Hamburgers. More than we can eat, but we try.
What’s the occasion? Jess’s birthday party. Did we need a reason? Probably not, but any reason to toast a neighbor is welcomed. This is any given Sunday in Floral Park. How do you Sunday?
Strawberry Bruschetta with Goat Cheese
4 oz goat cheese, room temperature- Baguette, sliced thinly on a diagonal
- Olive oil
- 1 package strawberries, sliced thinly
- 1/4 c mint leaves, chopped
- 2 Tbsp Dukkah (^)
- 1 tsp maldon sea salt
- Really good aged balsamic vinegar (*)
Brush the baguette slices on one side with olive oil and broil in the oven for ~2 minutes until golden brown. Watch them carefully so they don’t burn.
Remove from the oven, and smear on the goat cheese. Top each slice with 3-4 strawberry slices. Drizzle with balsamic, sprinkle with mint, dukkah and sea salt.
(*) If you don’t have aged balsamic, you can reduce young balsamic to a syrup by boiling until it is reduced by half.
(^) Dukkah is an Egyptian spice mix, which includes nuts, sesame seeds, and fennel seeds, among other spices. It is available at Trader Joes. Mine was gifted to me by my aunt.
Neighborly Life 